Will You Teach Me?
by don't resist
Summary: Sasuke had no choice but to learn to cook... Guess who his mentor is. SasuHina
1. Helping

Summary: Sasuke had no choice but to learn to cook... Guess who his mentor is.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, would it be in fan fiction? No.

XxXxXx

Chapter 1:

Helping

XxXxXx

Three mentors. That's how many quit on him. Apparently, in a hidden village, burnt clothes are dangerous, especially when on one's person. He huffed a sigh to himself. He liked eating home made meals, unlike Naruto's 'just add water' stuff. _'Real food,'_ he thought to himself. _'Food I make for me.'_

He crammed back another sigh and leaned back on the bench, outstretching his long legs comfortably. He crossed his ankles and closed his eyes, relaxing for a few moments.

At that moment, Hyuuga Hinata walked down the streets, arms loaded with groceries, ready to fill the kitchen to her new apartment with new cooking supplies. The frail girl, small as she was, couldn't see over the bags to see a certain Uchiha's extended legs. She tripped over him, her bags tearing from her arms and the groceries inside of the bags rolling out and falling all over.

She pushed herself up and looked at the ankles her own feet seemed tangled in. She untangled herself and began to chase her groceries, only to be surprised by a pale hand, that wasn't hers, picking up rolling cans and placing them in bags.

She flushed crimson when she looked up to see who it was. "Uchiha-san…" she breathed.

After a few moments of watching him pick up her stuff, she broke in to help. "Th-thank you, Uchiha-san. How can I ever repay you?"

The groceries were finally in their bags, a few fruits and vegetables bruised. For some reason, Uchiha Sasuke offered to help her carry the bags home. After a short-lived argument, he was carrying most of the bags, and Hinata only one. He started towards the estate, only to be stopped by her giggles. He shot a look at her, one of anger covering up his confusion. She pointed a different direction.

"I moved."

They walked side-by-side to her apartment. It didn't look like living material on the outside, but when she unlocked the door, handing him the bag she held, she revealed a quaint living space.

She pulled a bag from his arms and walked into her home. He followed closely behind her into the kitchen. They both unloaded their arms onto the island in the kitchen. He helped her put away the groceries, not remembering what he had to be looking for. He'd hand her items and ask things like 'where does this go' and 'what's that'.

After folding up the paper bags, Sasuke let his brain work properly. He saw how perfect her kitchen was. He saw how much cooking materials she'd just bought for this perfect kitchen. He spurt out a question, not stopping himself at all.

"Will you teach me?"

XxXxXx

All right, I started this thinking I should go for three chapters, now I'm thinking between four to five chapters, maybe four with an epilogue. So, tell me what you think.

With Love,

Hotari-chan


	2. Captain's Log: Rice Making

Chapter 2:

Captain's Log: Rice making

XxXxXx

"Will you teach me?"

The blue-haired girl turned her head quickly. She stared at him, brow furrowed in confusion. "Hn?" It was obvious she had no clue what he was talking about, and he didn't blame her.

He groaned at himself in frustration. "Will you teach me how to cook?" he asked again.

She raised an eyebrow at him and leaned in a little closer to him. His cheeks began to turn a soft shade of pink that reminded her of her sister's crayon box. He backed up a little, and the shade of pink darkened a little. "Are you f-feeling sick?" she asked quietly, taking a step away in case blurting out silly questions was contagious.

"I'm fine," he said sharply, causing the small girl to jump. "Well?"

She turned and opened a cupboard. Her fingertips grabbed the underside of the binding of the book. She pulled it out and caught it with her free hand. "I could teach you. As repayment for helping me with my stuff."

He nodded and crossed his arms, leaning against the island. He stared at her, catching her a little off guard as she lifted her gaze from the now-open book. "Aa… I have a few things to do today, but… if you come back tomorrow morning we can start.

XxXxXx

Hinata sat on her bed. It was nearly midnight already, and she was still working on finishing her thank you letters. She had written and re-written four for Neji-nii-san. In the end, she put the original in the envelope and put the stamp on it. She knew she could just walk it down, but she had to be there in the morning to meet up with Uchiha-san.

_Uchiha Sasuke, _she thought. _Why would he want __**me**__ to teach him how to cook? He could have asked Sakura-chan or Ino-chan. He could have easily asked TenTen-chan. Why me?_

She pulled out a leather bound book from beneath her pillow and began jotting down her thoughts. She was the luckiest girl in Konohagakure, but she didn't feel like it. She felt like ripping out her own hair for offering to teach him. From the rumors that were flying around, she could end up dead after the first day.

XxXxXx

She woke up refreshed and ready to teach her pupil. She walked into the kitchen, wearing a robe over her cotton jimjams. She set up the teapot and began pulling things from the cupboards to make breakfast foods. She sighed as she opened the bag of flour and let the scent waft over her. She smiled contently and pulled down the bag of sugar.

It was seven now, she expected him to arrive in an hour, maybe two. What she didn't expect, however, was a knock on her door at seven fifteen. She had just put the tealeaves into the teapot and walked to her room to take a bath and then get dressed.

Eyes wide, she darted to the door and peeked through the peephole. "Oh, my…" she said to herself. She pulled open the door and let him in, keeping her head down as he walked in.

He looked down at her. Her hair was disheveled and she was looking a little embarrassed. "I came at a bad time," he stated, looking her over again.

"Ano… Ah… No. It's all right. Honestly." She let her hands nervously grab at the flaps of her robe. The soft pink complimented the shade her face seemed to be turning. "One moment," she ran towards the kitchen, her socks sliding on the tile. She sifted out the tealeaves and poured a cup of tea.

He watched her return with a cup of tea, and from what it smelled like, it was ginseng with mint and honey. She started at him a few moments before tucking a dark lock of hair behind her ear and walking towards her bedroom.

He was tempted to follow, but it seemed rude, so he stayed in the living room and drank the tea. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was sweet enough to keep the heavy taste of peppermint out of his mouth, but not too sweet as to drive out the regular tastes of the tea.

She emerged moments later, still in her robe, but her hair was brushed and pulled back in a low ponytail. "Are you ready?" she asked quietly.

He nodded and stood up, walking himself to the kitchen with her following at his heels. She stopped when he did, hitting her nose against his back. She put a hand to her nose and turned away from his back to the counter where she left the cookbook open.

"Do you know how to cook cinnamon rolls or sweet dumplings?" she asked him.

"Ano… No."

"Ramen from scratch?" She heard him chuckle over his shoulder. "What is it?" she asked, subconsciously running a hand through her ponytail.

"Oh, it's nothing…"

"Rice?"

He blinked and shook his head. "I can't make that either." He watched her jaw slack as she turned to stare at him. He shrugged as if it were no big deal.

She placed her hands on her heavy hips and sighed. "This will take a long time…"

XxXxXx

That night, Hinata sat on her bed, touching the sleeve of her robe and pouting at the burn marks that were on it. She sighed and ran her thumb across the fabric in a soothing motion. "I needed a new one anyway…"

She loved her robe, but knew that she would have to toss it. Hyuugas, no matter how far away from the compound they lived, did not wear tattered, or burned, clothing. She sighed and leaned back on her bed, her ponytail still in its place. "I didn't even yell at him for burning it…"

She rolled over on her side. She'd spent the better part of her morning teaching him to cook regular rice without a cooker that she wasn't even sure if she'd be able to teach him how to cook cakes or rolls. She looked back at the sleeve, and noticed the other sleeve was also burned.

Frowning deeply, she tossed it across the room onto the chair near the bed. Moments later, she was fast asleep, dreaming, and hoping, that he wouldn't burn her apartment down the next day.

XxXxXx

Sasuke was very sorry for burning her robe. She had pulled it off as soon as it started flaming and tried to stomp it out with her socks on. Her socks ended up singed as well, but she was obviously more worried about the robe. He thought of how to pay her back. If she'd heard the rumors, she would end up pushing him out of her apartment the next day.

He shook his head and stared at his ceiling, still wearing his training clothes that he wore when he went to see Hinata. He thought of cooking her something, but decided not to; burning his own home was not on his list of things to do. It hit him. He jumped off of his bed and started towards the busier part of town. He was going to buy her a new robe.

XxXxXx

The first batch of rice they, meaning Sasuke, made was hard. The second was too sticky. The third was dry and barely cooked. He, finally, after the fifth batch, had made a good batch of rice. He smirked and nodded down at his creation.

Hinata pulled out a big bowl and poured out the rice. She set the pot back onto the stove and handed him the bag of rice and a pitcher of water.

"We'll try the rice one more time," she told him. He watched the rice, tempted to stir it just once. "Don't touch the spoon," she said quietly as she pulled out a paper towel. She handed it to him. "Remember, when the bubbles are below the rice level, put this on top, put the lid on, and turn off the stove."

He nodded at her instructions, waiting as patiently as he could. He finally put the paper towel on the rice and set the lid on top. He turned off the stove and waited. "If this turns out well, we'll move on to bigger challenges."

He wasn't so sure about the 'bigger challenges' part, but he was defiantly sure about getting this batch of rice right. They waited fifteen minutes in silence. Hinata pulled the lid off, pulled out the paper towel, and stepped back for Sasuke to step in. He stepped forward with the wooden spoon and began stirring fervently.

"Not like that," she instructed. She put his hand over his and slowed down his motions. She turned over the rice, using his hand and the spoon. Her hand drifted to his wrist and let him do the work. He lifted up it up, blowing on the steaming rice.

She took the spoon and took a bite. She smiled sweetly. "That's perfect," she sighed. She looked down at the rice, then back up at him. "You're getting better." Her soft praise rang in his ears. All that praise earned her a soft blush, before the Uchiha tilted his head down and looked at the rice himself.

"Teach me to make sushi tomorrow."

XxXxXx

That evening, Sasuke stared at the robe across from his room. He decided he was going to take it to her tomorrow. He wasn't going to chicken out of that one. He nodded to himself, and eventually nodded himself to sleep, dreaming of making sushi with Hinata and maybe feeding her a bite and kissing her lips if she got them stained with soy sauce. He sat up and blinked around. There wasn't a snowman's chance in hell he liked her.

Uchiha Sasuke didn't like girls. Then he thought to himself. _She's not a girl; she's a lady._

XxXxXx

All righty! I introduced the fluff! I have introduced the fluff!!! I was going to make him brush his thumb over her lip because she got rice stuck to it, but then I thought 'They're at the beginning of a relationship, dobe! What are you thinking!' So, tell me what you thought!!

With Love,

Hotari-chan

Think Tickle Me Pink. Kami… I love that crayon…

Oh, my hell! I almost forgot! I LOVE all of you who reviewed and added me to your favorite authors and alert list! Much love. I'm soooo glad you guys, and girls, like this story. I'm really excited about this one. And, I can't wait to put up the next chapter!!


	3. Sushi and a Present

Chapter 3:

Sushi and Presents

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Hinata stood outside of the Uchiha's home. He was most defiantly late. It was eleven o' clock in the morning. She had given him a time the day before, to make sure he wouldn't arrive while she was dressing or before she even got dressed. Eight. He was supposed to be at her apartment at eight. She had all of her cutlery for cutting the sashimi and had even finished the sticky rice.

Though she was angry with him, she couldn't bring herself to pound on the door with a closed fist. Instead, she meekly took the knocker in her hands and knocked three times, quickly. She knelt and picked up a plastic bag with her left hand. She was going to teach him to make sushi. She was only planning on teaching him how to cook and back, but he asked and she was returning a favor.

…And he was late.

XxXxXx

The Uchiha stood at Hinata's door. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. The box in his other hand was what had made him late. He wasn't sure what to write on the card or what to wrap it in. Newspaper was out of the question. He was cheap, not tacky. When Ino bounded into his home, he had no choice but to explain the feminine robe to the girl. After all, she'd given up on him the day she started dating Naruto.

She decided on a plain white box she found in his father's study and a thank you card that he scrawled 'I'm sorry about your robe' inside. They spent the better part of the morning arguing over what to write as an ending note. Ino thought 'love' was appropriate, but Sasuke knew better. 'Love' was not something you wrote into a card after two, maybe three, days of actually getting to know someone. Instead, he only wrote his name.

He really didn't realize how late he was until he was outside of her home knocking on her door. Usually he wasn't late. Also, he usually wasn't buying gifts for meek women he didn't really like.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

She wasn't home?

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

_  
_He waited a few minutes before Konohagakure's loudmouth walked by and waved. "You lookin' for Hinata-chan?" he called out.

Sasuke gave Uzumaki Naruto an odd look before nodding. "She's off at your house."

Taking the advice, he started towards home. When he got to his home, he saw her rocking back and forth on her heels. He watched her bite her lower lip and take the knocker in one hand.

_Knock. Knock._

She went back to rocking on her heels, and began talking to herself. "Naruto-kun did say that he might still be asleep… But, he could just be on the other side of this estate."

He smirked at her and leaned against a tree about eight meters away from her. He watched her a few more moments, until she turned around. She blushed and turned back towards the door. He walked right beside her and opened the door.

She walked in and, as if she'd been there before, walked to the kitchen. It was three times the size of her own kitchen, but half the size of that at the Hyuuga estate. At once, she pulled a few things out of her bag and then started towards the cupboards.

From the look of his kitchen, he kept it neat and tidy. All of the cutlery and tableware were still in the room, but a lot of the supplies had been thrown out. Most of the things in the cupboards were instant food that was far past the expiration date. If they hadn't been thrown out, Hinata was throwing it out at that moment, making good use of the four trash bins.

He watched her, wondering what the _hell_ she was doing. It only took a few moments, but he saw she'd cleared out his cupboards of all the old things he thought about using, but never did. Once they were clear, he watched her climb down from the counter and towards the other part of the room where she'd set down her stuff.

She picked up the seaweed and walked to the sink, washing her own hands with soap before rinsing the leaves. She looked over her shoulder, through her dark hair at him.

He picked up a towel and set it beside her, laying it out flat. At once, she began untangling the wet seaweed and laying it down. Catching on, Sasuke washed his hands and began helping untangle the leaves as well. He winced when one piece ripped, but she told him it was all right. He lay it down anyway. They finished the first part and Hinata sent him to get another towel.

He lay it on top of the other towel, sandwiching the seaweed. He glanced over her shoulder. "You brought rice?" he asked. He'd expected her to tell him he had to make it.

She nodded and walked to the closed container of rice. "It's the rice you made. The first batch was what I used to make the sticky rice."

He frowned, making himself look angry. He wanted to make it, as childish as it seemed.

She smiled comfortably back at him. "It's easy. I'll write it down for you," she promised, pulling the lid off.

He noticed the smell first. It smelled sweeter thank the way it did when it had first been made. She pulled out a weird bamboo mat from a drawer. She'd found it while searching through his kitchen. She set it down and took half a handful of the rice out and handed it to him.

"Roll it in your hands and make it round. We're going to start with something easy."

She pulled out her own handful and began compacting it in her hands. He spent his time watching her and trying to copy her movements. Instead of being soft like her riceball, it was hard and much too small. She looked at his then at hers.

She giggled behind the back of her hand. Not thinking anything of it, she slipped under one of his arms and stood in front of him, knowing he could see right over her head. She took out another half-handful of rice. She placed it in his hands and pressed her hands against his. He was glad she wasn't looking his way. The Uchiha Avenger was blushing as brightly as a cherry tomato.

She asked him to get the seaweed, and the red-faced boy obliged quickly, leaving the rice in her hands. He returned and stood on her other side. With trembling hands, he followed her instructions to compress the rice a little, so it was flatter, and to press the sides in so it took on the shape of a triangle.

The both of them reached for the seaweed to wrap around one side of it. Their fingertips brushed and they both pulled their hands away a little, their cheeks carrying a pink hue. Sasuke was the one who took the initiative to pick up a piece of seaweed and hand her a piece. They finished their riceballs and she got her voice back. She took out two more half-handfuls of rice and showed him how to make sushi rolls.

She slipped under his arm again, letting naïvety set in, and showed him how to roll it with the mat she'd found.

When she finished showing and telling him how to make the sushi, she turned around and was greeted with the Uchiha's chest. She looked up at his face and all she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears. She whispered his name. He was obviously trying to tell her something; it looked along the lines of 'sorry', but that couldn't happen. He took a few steps away and she was able to hear what he was saying, though her heart still beat fast.

XxXxXx

She was lying on her couch, staring at the back of her hand. Kami, was she confused… He had insisted on walking her home. She hadn't realized how much time they spent in his kitchen. They'd made and eaten the rolls and had what was left of the milk in his refrigerator.

She remembered giggling at his milk moustache; he'd glare back at her, which would only trigger more giggles.

She was lost. She liked Sasuke. He'd helped her two days ago. He was funny, though he didn't admit to it. He was kind; though he told her it was all just an act. She didn't fall for that one, not even for a moment. He was human; he had to be kind underneath his hard Uchiha exterior.

She sighed and looked to the coffee table in front of the sofa. She couldn't get of her mind that she was mere inches away from him, if she'd taken less that a step back, she would have been flush against him. It had all hit her in a wave.

She was so intimate with him, touching his hands softly, standing between his arms close to his chest as she taught him to cook. She wouldn't be surprised if he decided that she was turning into a fan girl and was going to chase after him like a chicken with her head cut off.

She groaned and hit her eyes behind her hand.

XxXxXx

He forgot… He was so caught up in flirting with Hinata that he'd forgotten about giving her the gift. He took a sip of his cool tea and began to decide what to do. After all, it was only ten. She couldn't be asleep.

XxXxXx

Hinata woke up to knocks at the door. She was still on the couch in her 'Juliet' pose. She looked at the clock before calling out a groggy, "Coming!"

She walked to the door and opened it, not bothering to look through the peephole. "Good evening," she smiled weakly. She was a morning person, not a nighttime person. She was still half asleep, and it showed through her half-lidded eyes.

Sasuke nodded with a 'hn'. He walked in past her and sat on the couch. He set the box on the table and leaned into the cushions on the sofa. She sat beside him.

"Wh-what's this?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Eh. It's nothing."

She stared at him, her mouth agape. "Y-you didn't have to d-do that…"

"Hn."

She stared at the box this time and set it in her lap, cautiously. She closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking to herself '_he really is going to kill me_'. It was because he thought she was a fan girl, right? Her hands shook with fear that an exploding tag was beneath the lid of the box.

Except, when she pulled off the lid, there wasn't a loud 'BOOM' and she was still alive and breathing. She moved some tissue paper and saw a soft, lavender robe. Her jaw slacked again and she continued to tremble.

"Th-thank you," she breathed, turning to look at him. "I… ano… thank you so much."

Her hand found his and she squeezed it lightly. This simply part sent a surge of electricity through his person. She disengaged her hand from his and set it on the plush robe. His featured softened a little. He nodded a little. "I should be going. I woke you up."

"Ano… N-n- I mean… I guess. I'll see you tomorrow, right?" He nodded at her. Somehow, she had expected him to lean over to hug her, kiss her on the cheek; anything but deciding he had to leave.

They both stood up and she walked him to the door. He stared at her a few moments, causing her to blush. He brushed her bangs from her eyes and tucked a stray strand behind her ear before turning to leave with a simple, "'Bye."

"Good-bye, Uchiha-san," she whispered as he jumped down the steps and towards his home.

XxXxXx

All right. That's chapter three. I've decided to give you a hint on what the next chapter is about, since I won't be near a computer in the next few days. Chapter four is going to be about the two of them going shopping. Expect the unexpected and more character appearances. I think, I might even break the next chapter into two.

Well, anyway! Much Love to all of you, especially my inspiration:

**Fire always makes it better**

**DarkSmile**

**The anonymous: nothingness**

**Disneyrulz23**

**KRaZyChangeoFHeArT**

**Gaara's Ai**

**AND EVERYONE ELSE I DIDN'T GET!!  
**

Love to those who read and don't review, and love to those who read and review!

LOTS of Love,

Hotari-chan


	4. Soy Sauce

Chapter 4:

Soy Sauce

XxXxXx

The morning began slowly, as Hinata rose out of bed at nearly eleven thirty. After making sushi, she had told him, sternly, yet quietly, they were to go shopping to fill his empty kitchen with respectable food items. She shuffled to her kitchen, remembering this. She frowned at herself and began a pot of hot water to begin her morning tea. Watching the pot as she waited for it to heat faster, she wondered what they should buy.

She turned her back to the teapot and pulled a pad of sticky notes and a pen. Clicking the pen open, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and began at the top. After a few moments, she nodded contently to herself. Rice, honey, fish, milk, noodles, flour, sugar, broth, seasonings, salt, pepper, and seaweed were all on the list so far. Nodding once again, she listened to her teapot whistle. She turned off the pot and poured out a cup and set in a teabag.

Hinata licked her lips and pondered the night before. Sasuke was so… odd. He was _trying_ to be nice to her. He was _trying_ to whisk her off her feet. Or, maybe it was just her overactive imagination. She shrugged and picked up the tea, taking a sip before hissing at the too-hot tea. She pushed the cup away, frowning pitifully at herself.

XxXxXx

Sasuke was up bright and early. Actually, the truth was, he never went to sleep. His stomach was betraying him, or the Aburame had put butterflies into his stomach when he wasn't looking. He highly doubted it, but he wasn't about to blame Hinata. He wasn't about to ruin whatever he'd just created. He hoped she felt whatever electricity he'd felt that night.

He stared up at the ceiling, too groggy to get up and make tea, to groggy to go over to her… Never mind. He wasn't too groggy to get up and stalk to her apartment. He jumped off the couch and began his walk to her apartment. If they were going to go shopping, he thought, they might as well leave early so that they didn't run into anyone.

In front of her apartment, he wondered whether he should knock or open the door and call out 'Guess who!' He decided the first, knowing it would confuse her to no end if he opened the door and giggled out those two words. He shuttered, thinking it reminded him of Naruto. After a few moments of trying to erase the Sexy no Jutsu from his mind, he knocked on the door.

She didn't answer right away. He wondered what she was doing, and hoped it had nothing to do with looking out her window to see him blushing softly and attempting to regain his stoic features. He glanced at the window, just to make sure, but didn't see anything. The door opened as he was looking at the curtained window. He turned and looked down at her.

"Good morning, Uchiha-san," she smiled sweetly, her cooled tea in her hands.

He nodded at her and glanced inside of her apartment. It looked the same it had last night, not that he had expected it to look any different. He looked back down at her and nodded once again.

"Would you like to come in?"

He smirked and stepped past her. His arm brushed against the plush fabric of the robe he gave her. "You must really like it," he pointed out.

She crimsoned quickly and looked away from him. He walked to her couch and sat in the same spot he'd sat in when he'd given her the gift she was wearing. She nodded a little then walked to her kitchen quietly. She picked up the pad and pen and slipped them into her pocket. She, then, poured a cup of tea for her guest.

Both cups in hands, she walked back to the sitting room and handed one to him. "I… ano… I started a grocery list," she mentioned quietly, sipping lightly at her tea.

He nodded, the idiotic butterflies in his stomach acting up when she sat beside him. He took the pad from her hand when she dug it out of her pocket. Glancing it over, he stated quickly, "You didn't write down butter, ketchup, mayonnaise, bread, lettuce, any sort of meat, other than fish, or fresh fruits and vegetables."

She looked over his shoulder at the pad. "I guess I didn't," she murmured to herself. "Here," she pulled out the pen and scrawled down what he'd said over his arm.

The Uchiha flushed and didn't say anything about the situation that was at hand. After all, her chest was pressing against his shoulder and his hand was dangerously close to her thigh. He glanced over at her, who was thinking nothing of their close proximity. He watched her push the pen behind her ear and glance at him.

"I… ano… I haven't gotten dressed or bathed or eaten yet," she admitted bashfully.

He raised an eyebrow, confused with why she was telling him that. Then, it hit him, she wanted to take a bath, put clothes one, and eat. He blushed, imagining her in her tub filled with bubbles, cheeks flushed. Shaking that stupid thought from his head, scolding himself for developing a teenagers mind.

He turned his gaze from her and nodded. "I can wait."

She blushed furiously and set her teacup down with a nervous clatter. "I—I'll be about a-an hour…" she murmured, walking to her room in a daze.

He sat down and let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't realized how much tension had developed between the two of them during the course of one night. He ran a hand through his hair and stood up, pacing back and forth trying to come up with a way to make their shopping trip not embarrassing.

His thoughts were interrupted prematurely when he heard a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, he went to the window and peeked through at the blond kunoichi on the porch. He murmured how she shouldn't be there, but finally opened the door and frowned at her. "What are you here for?"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," she began, her old habit kicking in, "Where's Hinata-chan? You aren't keeping her away from the world, are you?" she asked teasingly, drawing to the conclusion that they were dating. After all, he was in her apartment at noon.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I'm waiting for her, myself."

"She's not home?" Ino pouted. "Well, in that case, I'll come in and wait for her too!" Ino pushed past him easily and looked over her apartment. "I don't see any pictures of the two of you or any of your stuff in here…" she remarked offhandedly.

"I don't live here."

"Oh? Well, why not? You two are obviously close. You're in her apartment, and she usually locks it when she goes out."

"She's not out."

"Oh, really? Then where is she?"

In the background, the water in the bathroom began to run. Then, Ino giggled. "You were going to walk in on her bathing? Hah, and I thought Sakura and I were bad!" she laughed. "We always planned on walking in on you going to the bathroom or sneaking into your house while you were sleeping and stealing your clothes!"

The stoic boy's face went rigid. That knowledge just made him nearly gag. He set down his tea, knowing he would never be able to take even one gulp with Ino in his presence. "Great…" he thought aloud. "I used to think Itachi was my worst problem."

"You were so wrong," she laughed, stressing the 'o' in so.

He groaned to himself and shook his head. "You probably shouldn't have told me that. I'd have to tell Sai about Sakura's stalker side."

"Nah, he knows all about that! He says it's a 'turn-on'. I don't think so. Naruto doesn't think so either. Of course, other than me, he only thinks about ramen and how to get back at you and say 'ha ha, sucker!'"

After twenty minutes of 'complete hell' for Sasuke, and a regular conversation for Ino, Hinata emerged, cheeks flushed from the warmth of her bath clad in a pair of long shorts and her jacket. She glanced between the two of them and smiled at Ino. "Good afternoon," she said sweetly.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" she squealed loudly, running and hugging the girl. "Sasuke-kun, here, tells me that he doesn't live here with you. You don't even have pictures of the two of you together. What kind of couple _are_ you?"

"Aa… Ino-chan, we're not a couple," she whispered, almost as if she said it too loudly Sasuke might notice what she'd said and call her on it and tell her something she was all to ready to hear him say. "We're just friends. I'm teaching Uchiha-san to cook."

"Ugh… You two are truly boring. When will you get together?" she asked herself, almost as if Hinata and Sasuke weren't in the room with her. "Anyway, I dropped by to ask you if you wanted to go to dinner with Naruto-kun and I. What do you say?"

"Ano…" She looked to Sasuke with pleading eyes. "I don't… know."

Ino pouted cutely. "Come on… I'll even let you bring Sasuke-kun with you. It'll be sort of like a double-date!" She was obviously excited, but Hinata wasn't. She didn't want to say yes and admit she had a crush on the Uchiha.

"Demo, Ino, why don't we have lunch together some other time…" she murmured.

The blonde whipped around and looked at Sasuke. "You'll go won't you?" she asked.

Afraid for his underwear, he nodded coolly. "I wouldn't mind. Will it be at Ichiraku's?"

The blond laughed easily and nodded. "You obviously know Naruto too well," she remarked. "Come on, Hinata. You have to go now. I even have a date for you!" She pointed at Sasuke.

The dark-haired girl sighed and nodded. "I'll go."

"Yay!" Ino jumped up and hugged her friend. "Don't worry about what to wear, okay? It's not like a big fancy, shmancy date. It's small and quiet. We may even go to Naruto-kun's apartment later and watch scary movies." The girl then waved to the pair and bounced out of the room.

"…You did that on purpose," Hinata murmured, taking the cups of not-quite-finished tea to the kitchen.

XxXxXx

The duo arrived at the grocery store at one forty-seven. Hinata pulled out a cart while Sasuke looked over the list a fifteenth time, just to make sure that they didn't leave anything off. She pushed the cart around, going slowly so he could follow her. She pulled out good articles and put them into the cart as he read off the list.

Of course, when Sasuke mentioned that soy sauce wasn't on the list, they had already passed that aisle. "I'm not going back," she said, looking through bags of rice for the type that she used in her own home.

"You'd better."

"I'm not. If I go back, it'll put me off, and I won't remember what I was looking for."

"We have a list," he pointed out, waving the paper before her.

She frowned and stared up at him. "Well, I don't care. I'm not going to the previous aisle for soy sauce." Then, she knelt down and picked up the bag of rice she wanted and put it in the cart. "I'm going to get bread next, not your silly sauce."

"You're being irrational."

"No, you are. Only people who don't like flavor put sauces on their food after the cook has prepared the meal. It shows how well the chef did. You don't need soy sauce."

"I do need it. What if I make bad rice?"

"Then I'll make you remake it."

"You won't be at my house all the time!" he remarked quickly.

She looked away from where she was walking and glared at him. She wasn't going to remark. After staring at him for a minute too long, she was interrupted by Lee, pushing a cart with a big cake. "Ah… young love… How I wish I had your ability to achieve such passion!" he called out.

Hinata took a deep breath, set her jaw, and stalked away from him. She turned down the bread aisle and pulled out two loaves. Then, she turned around, and went down to aisle five and picked up the Uchiha's beloved soy sauce. The rest of the shopping experience, Hinata ignored Sasuke and continued to pick out what he needed, if only it was on the list.

At the end of the trip, Hinata was carrying two bags, neither containing the sauce. Her jaw was still set, and her eyes had developed the look that Neji's had when he was irritated. Once at his home, she pushed the bags at him and walked away. "Stupid Uchiha," she had murmured under her breath.

XxXxXx

I'm so sorry for the wait! I am very sorry! As you can tell, I've introduced two other characters. Of course, thanks to all you reviewers, and all of you who tend to remind me I need to update. –cough- -cough- **Em** –cough-

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter more than I do. By the, way this chapter was broken up, so I'm giving you a taste of this day.

Dinner is bound to be tense when Sasuke asks Hinata to pass him the _soy sauce_.


	5. Date Night

Chapter 5:

Date Night

XxXxXx

_Her jaw was still set, and her eyes had developed the look that Neji's had when he was irritated. Once at his home, she pushed the bags at him and walked away. "Stupid Uchiha," she had murmured under her breath._

Sasuke fumbled with the key to his home, nearly dropping everything in his arms. Finally, he was able to open the door and step inside. He put things away, wondering why she was so angry with him. After all, it was only a sauce. He understood what she meant when she told him that it would only cover up the other flavors. He frowned. He could remember her not saying anything when he told her she wouldn't be at his house all the time. He shrugged to himself and continued to put away his new belongings.

He figured that since she was mad, she wasn't going to dinner that night with Naruto and Ino. He put up the soy sauce, wondering why something so small could be so life changing. Well, not exactly life-changing, but close enough to par. He thought about it a few moments longer, then returned to putting away his things.

Afterwards, he watched the clock. Ino didn't give him a specific time. He thought about calling her to ask, but if Hinata wasn't going, he didn't think he should go either. Setting a frown on his face, he fell into the couch and sat sulking to himself, arms crossed over his chest.

XxXxXx

Hinata lay sprawled on her bed, her cordless phone on the nightstand beside her. She pulled the blanket up over her and nestled in. She was expecting him to call to say he was sorry, but she remembered his last name and threw that thought away. She sighed and pulled the blanket taut around her shoulders.

Lying on her bed, her thoughts started to turn. Sasuke was being so weird. She was being so weird. She sighed and covered her head with the comforter. She hadn't changed from when they went shopping, and so, she was slightly uncomfortable in her short pants and heavy jacket.

She sat up, letting the blanket fall off of her, and pulled off the jacket. She was alone, so the netting shirt wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. After all, no one was in her apartment but her. She extended her legs, and pulled off her pants, tossing both articles of clothing to the foot of her bed. She sighed and fell onto her side. She pulled the blanket over her and drifted to sleep.

XxXxXx

Sasuke lost track of time. He glanced to the clock in the hallway. Five o' eight. He sighed and stood up. He wasn't in the mood to cook anything right away, so he figured he'd just go out to dinner. He was about to go check his room for any extra money he had lying around, when the phone rang.

He thought about just letting it ring a few times more and letting his answering machine get it, but then he had this great idea, that whoever was on the other line would pay for his dinner. And, sure enough, when he answered the phone it was Ino.

"Where the hell are you two!?" she yelled, obviously angry.

He could hear Naruto in the background murmuring something about how 'Sasuke can't make it because he knows Hinata-chan will turn him down.' Then, he heard Ino yell at him that Hinata did like him, and that it was written all over her face.

"She usually has a clean house, Naruto-kun. Something's obviously on her mind, because it's not as spick and span as it was a week ago." Her voice was a little distant; she probably had her hand over the speaker. "Anyway, Sasuke-kun, go get Hinata-chan. We've been waiting for you two for eight minutes!"

With that, the phone clicked. He didn't even have a chance to tell her she hadn't given them a time. He sighed and left the room. He left his house, locking the door behind him, and started towards Hinata's apartment.

XxXxXx

Hinata woke up to her phone ringing. She picked up the evil contraption and answered it. "Hello?" Her voice was groggy.

"Ah! Hinata-chan. You have to get down here, quick! Ino-chan and I have been waiting for a while for you and Sasuke-teme to arrive."

"All right," she murmured, hanging up the phone. She crawled out of her bed and pulled her pants back on. She headed to the door, jacket in arm, and opened the door just in time to see a frustrated looking Sasuke. She murmured something passed him by, dragging herself down the stairs to get to Ichiraku's ramen shop.

Sasuke looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He could tell she was tired, so he figured he wasn't in trouble anymore. He caught up with her easily and walked beside her, his arm brushing against her shoulder as they walked. He said something, but it was a little too low for Hinata to hear.

She glanced at him and shrugged, figuring it wasn't very important. They reached the ramen shop quickly and sat beside Ino and Naruto, Hinata beside Ino and Sasuke on the other side of Hinata, leaving Naruto on Ino's left.

"Finally…" they heard Ino say. "Well, Naruto figured out he didn't want to eat here anymore, so we're going to go to a table barbeque. How's that sound?"

Hinata nodded at Ino. "That sounds fine." She glanced at Sasuke who shrugged.

"It's settled then!"

The foursome got up from their seats and walked towards the closest barbeque. They slid into a booth, Ino and Naruto on one side and Sasuke and Hinata on the other. Ino leaned forward on the table, hand cupped around her mouth. "Are you two dating yet?" She watched Hinata blush and shake her head.

Naruto ordered for them, getting everything on the menu. They fell into a silence that seemed a bit too heavy. The meat and rice arrived not long after and they set it up on the grill before them.

"Well, Sasuke-teme, when'd you get so cuddly with Hinata-chan?" he asked protectively, like a big brother protecting his littler sister.

Hinata flushed and looked away. After all, she was still mad at him, right? Her hands sat on either side of her while she waited for Sasuke to answer.

"A few days ago," he mentioned gruffly.

"Why's that?"

"She's teaching me…" His voice broke off as he murmured the rest.

Naruto grinned at this opening. It was something that Sasuke was embarrassed about. It _had_ to be juicy. "What was that?"

"…She's teaching me to cook…"

He finally laughed out loud. Why would Konohagakure's number one bachelor want to learn to cook? "That's a funny one! What's the other reason, you dobe?"

"I like her."

It was simple, quick and easy.

Hinata's face finally broke out all over in a pink. She poked Sasuke's thigh to get out of the booth so she could go to the bathroom and cool off her face with some cool water. He glanced over and smirked at her. He stood up, taking her hand in his. He helped her up and let her pass. She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could.

"…knew it." He caught the end of Ino's sentence.

She, too, excused herself. Naruto and Sasuke sat back down. "Heh. You scared her pretty badly, but at least she's not fainting anymore."

"That's true."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is…" Sasuke's voice became distant as he wondered whether he had embarrassed her in front of her friends or if she was just in total shock. After all, since the heartthrob had a crush on her, she was bound to get hurt along the way.

XxXxXx

"Well, that was some admission."

Hinata stood in front of the sink dampening a paper towel with cold water. She ran the almost-fabric over her face in hopes to cool down her blush. "Y-yeah… I-it w-was…" She internally cursed Sasuke. He had brought back her stupid stutter.

"Ooo…" Ino giggled. "I think you like him back."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "I don't," she said quietly, though her face was betraying her. She was blushing more than she had been moments ago.

"Yes you do, silly. I think you do like him. Of course, from what I know about like, you really must like him. You haven't tackled him, called him Sasuke-kun or tried to steal any of his undergarments."

A silence filled the bathroom.

"You did that?"

"Eh… Sort of…"

XxXxXx

The girls returned; Hinata's blush feigned slightly. Sasuke and Naruto both stood to let the girls take their seats. The food was in bowls and cooked thoroughly.

"We didn't know what you two wanted, but Sasuke-teme said that we should get you seafood and stuff," the ninja scratched the back of his head nervously.

After a bit of small talk, Sasuke turned to Hinata and leaned into her ear. "Would you pass me the soy sauce?"

Naruto and Ino both watched in shock. They'd both thought he was asking her to go home with him. Their jaws dropped as Hinata turned to look at Sasuke, chopsticks in her mouth.

She shook her head and looked back to her food, taking another bite of the grilled fish. Sasuke was tempted to reach over her, but that didn't exactly work out as he had planned. Somehow, he ended up with his arm over her shoulders, and it looked like he was embracing her. She wouldn't move the slightest bit so he could get to the sauce.

She glanced at him, indifference clouding her eyes. Then, she blushed a little and picked up her napkin. She dabbed her mouth and looked away, placing her hands in her lap.

"Uh… We're going to go now…" Naruto mentioned offhandedly, standing up from his seat and taking Ino's hand with him. He paid before leaving, but then scurried away, Ino behind him waving and sending Hinata psychic waves telling her to kiss him.

"Please hand me the sauce."

She looked at him and shook her head. "I don't want to," she said quietly, as she didn't have to speak loudly. She turned her head away from him and looked at his arms. She heard him huff a sigh, actually, she felt it better than she heard it. His breath was on her cheek. He leaned his chin on her shoulder and let his hands fall where they may. His left hand made it around her shoulder and his right hand sat on her other side, his fingers teasing her own.

"Well, why not?" he asked.

She frowned a bit and looked at him. "I don't have to answer that."

Heat rose in her cheeks as she felt his breath on her lips now. "Hn… I bet I could change that." She turned away and picked up the sauce.

"I bet you couldn't."

He sat up a little more and reached over her to get to the sauce. She used her free arm to keep him at arms length, far enough away so that he couldn't reach it.

"What is it?" he grumbled finally, giving up on trying to get to the sauce, as she was now leaning over the table and setting the sauce out of his reach.

"You told him you like me." She looked at him. He looked curious with his head propped up in his hand while his elbow leaned against the edge of the table near his barely-eaten food.

He rose an eyebrow at her. "Yes?"

"I-is it… true?" Her voice fell on 'true' and she looked away.

She could hear him chuckle, but didn't move to brush her hair over her shoulder so she could see a soft smile playing on his lips. She didn't move at all. In fact, Hinata was rigid. She thought he was going to tell her it was all a joke. Then, she thought about why she didn't want him to go back into the aisle before. She wanted him to walk comfortably with her and talk about silly things that others simply passed by, like the color of pens. Everyone either chose blue or black, but the both of them thought there should be more colors to use, like brown, green, orange, red, and purple.

"You could say it's an understatement."

Hinata felt him push her hair over her shoulder and lift her chin. She stared into his eyes carefully, hoping he didn't see her unshed tears. She was afraid he was laughing _at her_ not at her _question_.

He pushed hair behind her ear as he had the night before, but this time, he kissed her forehead. She could feel her fingertips tingling again, her face crimsoning, and her stomach doing its stupid flip-flops. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She felt his lips leave her forehead.

"A-are you d-done?" she asked in a quiet voice.

He glanced down at her, his own cheeks a slight pink. "Not quite." Then, he lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly. She was startled, but she kissed back all the same. He pulled from the kiss and looked down at her half-closed eyes. He smirked and nodded. "Now I am."

XxXxXx

Hinata went home that night, her whole body buzzing. She'd never kissed anyone before him. She'd never known that she could become 'buzzed' without drinking alcohol. She was still pink in the cheeks when she arrived at her apartment with Sasuke holding her hand.

He didn't kiss her before telling her goodnight. As a matter of fact, he didn't even say 'good night'. He just smiled and walked away.

She hoped she didn't do anything wrong. She lay on her bed, not covering herself with the blanket just yet. She had changed into her jimjams already and was ready for bed. She turned her head and looked at the braid she'd done her hair in. _You could say its an understatement._ His words rang in her ears all night. She didn't think she'd be able to get any sleep with Sasuke on the brain.

XxXxXx

Sasuke grinned all the way to his home. Actually, he smirked. He wasn't a person to grin. He went inside of his home, the butterflies in his stomach reacting again. He didn't figure he was allergic to her, as he thought he was when he was very little and met a girl who made his stomach hurt. He knew he wasn't allergic.

He got ready for bed and lay in his bed, Hinata on his mind. He lay in bed, smiling to himself about her. He liked kissing her. He figured he'd find a way to kiss her again the day after. He fell asleep, dreaming of ways to kiss her when she wasn't expecting it.

XxXxXx

All right, folks. This chapter is to make up for the previous not-so-fluffy chapter. I'm very sorry you had to put up with that one. I'm glad the last one was funny, and I'm really glad more people are reading this fic. However, I'm sad to say that I will not be able to post another chapter until next Wednesday. I'm going away for a little working vacation with my madre. Also, my birthday is coming up! I'm very excited. I'll finally be fifteen!

So, I hope you read this chapter, and love it.

With Love,

Hotari-chan

XxXxXx

Sasuke will spice things up when Hinata decides to teach him how to make kitchen-sink cookies and marshmallow fudge swirl.

[The next chapter will have a REAL recipe in it. They're both really good to eat.


	6. Flirtatious Kisses

Chapter 6:

Flirtatious Kisses

XxXxXx

When the downtown grocery opened, Hinata was the first down the aisles. She began her morning pulling things from the grungy shelves and setting them, not-too-gently, into the basket that hung off her arm. At the end of her exploration down the clean, but not quite clean, aisles, her basket was filled with the baking necessities she needed. When ready, the cashier she went to rang her up a bit too slowly and Hinata was bouncing in her skin.

The woman finally mumbled the costly amount, but Hinata paid without delay and left with her bags, not bothering to wait for her change. She lugged her bags through the town slowly, taking a few breaks from the heavy bags. She sat on a bench, her bags at her feet. She tucked her feet behind the bags and stared at the off-white plastic.

She glanced up to look at the early-risers groggily making their way to the closest café. With a soft smile, she watched as Naruto made his way the opposite direction, towards Ichiraku's ramen shop. Deciding not to take a trip back in time to the previous night, she picked up her bags and hustled home.

Hinata opened the door clumsily, fighting to make sure the bags didn't get the better of her and knock her off balance. The door flew open and she waddled to the kitchen, keeping hold of the bags the best she could. Once in the kitchen, she noticed a kettle of tea going. She dropped the bags and peeked out of the kitchen into the sitting room. Sure enough, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on her couch with a steaming cup of tea.

"Good morning," she heard him say.

She placed a hand on her hip. "Why are you in my apartment?" she asked quickly.

"Well," he turned and faced her, "your landlord let me in. He has this strange idea that we're dating."

She smiled softly and turned to the kitchen. "So, you came inside my apartment, started tea, and got comfy?" she asked him from the other room. She heard his 'uh-huh' from the sitting room and began to unpack her things.

On the counter, she set the chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, marshmallows, coconut, vanilla, shortening, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup, butter, milk, and the nuts onto the counter. After emptying the bags, she threw the plastic things away and began to pull more ingredients from the cupboards.

"Well, since you're here," she started, stepping back into the doorway, "and I'm here, and I just got back from the store, want to make something sweet?" She smiled pleasantly at the back of his head, waiting for it to turn. Instead, she was caught around the waist and pulled back against someone's chest. She let out a squeak and glanced over her shoulder at the tall boy behind her.

He smirked down at her. His lips nearly close enough to kiss. "Is that a yes?"

The shadow-clone on the couch poofed, leaving the two alone in the apartment. "It could be," he murmured. She turned to face him and pressed her hands against his chest, resisting temptation. After all, he didn't turn to kiss her the night before.

"Then, let's go." She took his hands in her own, after giving herself a few inches of space, and pulled him into the kitchen. "We're going to bake today," she told him. "I think, since I've taught you the basics, we're almost done."

She didn't turn around, but she knew he was probably pouting, or whatever it was that Uchiha Sasuke did when disappointed. She glanced at him while arranging items on the counter. She stared at him a bit while he helped her pull ingredients into different piles. He caught her stare after a few minutes as she snapped her head the other direction.

It was horrible not knowing whether or not he liked her as much as she was getting to like him. After all, he didn't kiss her good-bye the way she heard Naruto did to Ino. He didn't kiss her when they were close only moments ago. And, he wasn't about to kiss her now. Her gut was wrenching and she thought after today, if he didn't offer to take her on a date, she was going to take him. After all, if he didn't want to wear the pants, she might as well try them on, right?

Hinata glanced at the stuff and held her hands out in front of her, as if weighing which to make first. As if reading her mind, he cleared his throat. "Let's make the one with coconut in it," he told her, his tone seemingly soft. She met his eyes and nodded.

"Alright. Kitchen-sink cookies it is."

After a few minutes of mixing, mashing, and measuring, Hinata was giggling at Sasuke. It was fairly evident she wasn't about to stop either. He frowned down at her, holding the wooden spoon in the mushy dough. He let go of the kitchen instrument and stared at her. Then, he looked down at his clothes.

He was practically _coated_ in flour. And, from how white the backs of his hands were, he could only guess how his face looked. His frown deepened, causing the girl to stop and stare with wide eyes. That's when he dipped a hand in the flour and sprinkled it on the top of her head and used the back of his other hand to smudge the powder on her cheeks and forehead.

Mouth still agape, she pushed him away then started to laugh as she knelt to the floor and picked up about half a hand full of flour. She threw it at him and ducked behind the island when he picked up more flour from the bag. Hinata's laughter picked up the longer their chase lasted. After he ran out of flour in his hand, he turned his back to her and she bolted from the kitchen into the sitting room, where she hid beneath the table.

Sasuke turned, hands filled with flour, and snuck to one side of the island where he dumped the stuff. His face contorted into a frown. He left the room quietly and went to check the other rooms. Just to have a bit of a laugh, he actually checked beneath tables, behind the couches, under her bed, in her drawers, in cupboards.

Hinata didn't look out from her hiding spot to see Sasuke walking into her bedroom and staying in there for a few moments longer than one should do when in a friend's home. After a while of waiting and hiding, she slipped out from under the coffee table and stepped into Sasuke. She blushed beneath the flour on her cheeks.

"I found you," he whispered, placing a hand gently onto her cheek. He then leaned close and pressed his lips against hers. Hinata snaked her arms around his waist, pulling him as close as she could get him. Their chaste kiss soon was no longer as they parted for a breath. She opened her eyes slowly then closed them again as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

They stood, Sasuke in Hinata's arms, for a bit longer before Sasuke murmured something about the cookies. Then, Hinata gasped and took his hand in her own and raced for the kitchen. He followed her effortlessly as they entered the kitchen in a rush.

Hinata flushed red and glanced at Sasuke. "We still need flour," she mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. "I don't have a change of clothes for you, so we'll have to go down… like this."

They reached the market in record time. It was eleven fifteen in the morning. They entered the shopping mart and went towards the cooking aisle, where Hinata cradled a bag of flour against her chest. They walked briskly to a cashier. She steered Sasuke away from the one she had met up with earlier that morning. They stood in front of a familiar face while they were rung up.

"What happened to you two?" the lanky young man asked the pair.

Hinata glanced up from her feet for a moment then back down. "I-it was nothing."

"Tch. Obviously. Well?"

After a few moments of silence without an exchange of money, she pointed at Sasuke. "He did it," she accused, handing the flour to her friend.

"Oh? Ino told me something weird was going on with you two. Troublesome…"

He rang the pair up and Sasuke handed him a few coins. Hinata took the bag from him and smiled. "Thank you, Shikamaru-san."

"Yeah, yeah. You two, remember to use protection!" he called after them.

They sprinted from the market red-faced, and didn't stop until they made it to the apartment again. They didn't bother locking the door, so they opened the door and walked inside, straight for the kitchen. "That was… exciting," she huffed with a smile.

Sasuke nodded and took the bag from her arms. "Let's finish this up," he offered, setting the five pound bag onto the counter and opening it with ease.

Moments later, the couple was working on the cookies again. At the end of the mixing, Hinata took the spoon from his hand and opened the container of uncooked oats and began scooping cupfuls into the bowl. She told him he had to use his hands to mix the oats in, and Sasuke gave her an odd look. She took his hands in her own and set them in the bowl with her own. She began to mash the dough between her fingers and told him to do the same. In no time, the dough was finished and he was spooning it and placing it on the cookie sheet she greased for him.

The cookies in the oven, Hinata told him their other task, and pulled out two saucepans. She looked at Sasuke, whose eyes lit up at the sound of 'fudge'. She didn't peg him as a chocolate person; in fact, she didn't even guess he liked sugar.

She began to put away a few ingredients and left out what they needed. This time, though, she pulled out a recipe. "Two cups of sugar, two ounces of the unsweetened chocolate, two tablespoons of corn syrup, and one fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Put those into the first saucepan and heat them until the chocolate is melted."

He did as he was told and set up the saucepan and turned on the stove. Hinata looked over his arm. "Don't forget to mix it," she informed him, pulling out a spatula from a drawer. She set up the other saucepan and dumped in three handfuls of marshmallows. Taking her own spatula, she stirred the melting sugar puffs and watched him mix the chocolate mixture. She glanced at the recipe.

"Could you get out the candy thermometer? It's in the second drawer to the left on the island." She took the spatula from his hand, brushing her hand against his in the process and causing her face to brighten a shade of pink.

He disappeared from her view for a few moments, and then returned with the thermometer. "Perfect," she murmured. She set it into the chocolate stuff and waited. "When the temperature gets to 234, turn off the stove and put the butter in."

She turned off the heat on the marshmallows and stirred after the flame disappeared. "All right. How much butter?" She set down the spatula in the marshmallows and cut a cube of butter. He dropped it into the chocolate, and it began melting almost instantly. He continued to stir while he watched her look at the recipe.

She hadn't put her hair up at all, and so her long hair hung over her shoulders, even after she pushed it behind her back. She looked very cute with her face a hue of pink and a few white streaks on her cheeks and forehead. In his mind, they looked like someone had been touching her face lovingly while staring into her eyes or watching her drift to sleep. He continued to watch her until she caught his eye and told him to mix in the vanilla. She measured it for him and poured the teaspoon into the saucepan.

He continued to stare, tracing her form with his eyes. She had obviously decided not to bother with looking grungy that morning, as he caught her in a very clingy, long tee shirt and a pair of long shorts. She looked very… sweet. He turned his eyes away from her before he threw the pan and dipped her low to kiss her.

No matter how romantic it seemed in his mind, he wasn't going to do it. It would win her heart, but he didn't want to win it over. He wanted to earn it. He glanced down at the mixture. "How's this?"

The previously glossy mix was now thick and sort of heavy on the spoon. She nodded and smiled sweetly. "Perfect."

Hinata picked up the marshmallows and poured the melted mess into the chocolate. He continued to stir while she set the other pan into the sink. When she returned to his side, she held up the greased pan and he poured it into the other pan. She took the spatula from his hand and spread it, leaving a marbled looking top to the fudge.

She held the spatula to her mouth and licked it to taste soft fudge. "_Y'mm…_" Sasuke took the spatula from her hands and kissed her lip, pressing his tongue against her lower lip, where she had smudged the dessert. "Mmm…" he mumbled against her mouth, kissing her once more, with one hand against the base of her neck.

Her hands found the back of his head and ran his fingers through his hair. This was perfect. The desserts were almost ready. They were kissing. They were alone. They were _kissing_.

They stumbled to the couch, where Hinata ended up pressed against the bottom cushions beneath this very good-looking young man. Minutes passed before they broke for air. A few gasping breaths were took before they started kissing again.

Hinata's heart was thudding away in her chest. Her mind kept telling her to stop and think this over rationally. But, when her lips were being seized for another kiss, she told that voice to shut up so she could feel.

However, as soon as the voice murmured a 'you asked for it…', there was one singular knock before the door opened. And, whoever was in the doorway only saw, what _looked_ like, Sasuke wrestling with the couch.

XxXxXx

_Well, I'm very sorry I wasn't able to update last week. I apologize for being grounded, not that that makes any sense whatsoever. I'd love to thank all of the people who have added this story to their favorites or alerts and who have added me to either or. After I type up the chapter after this, which may be up by the end of next week, I've got a new Hanabi x Shino fic to put up and a Sasuke x Hinata fic, which I know you will all love. Thank you guys so much!!_

_Anyway, if you want to know about the fudge recipe, I actually put it up there. It explains everything. The other recipe is on my page, along with the 'official' recipe for the chocolate marshmallow swirl. I hope you make it and eat it! Both of them are very fantabulous!!!!_

_I hope to get a few reviews._

_By the way, I looked at how many reviews I have already on this and I nearly died. Seven away from 100 reviews, that is what I call exciting._

_With Love,_

_Hotari-chan_


	7. Busted!

Chapter 7:

Busted!

XxXxXx

"Please tell me Neji-nii-san didn't see me kissing Uchiha-san," Hinata asked the blond boy in her kitchen. "Did he see us kissing?"

She looked a little scattered. After all, her cousin just walked in on her and 'the Uchiha' playing tonsil hockey on the couch. Her bangs were sticking up from her big escape from the front room. Her clothes were a little distraught and still had spots of flour. Her hands were going back to her old habit of pressing the pads of her fingers together. Compared to the grinning blond, she looked like a mess.

"You know, Hinata-chan, I probably shouldn't lie to you. When he saw you two, his look was so priceless!" He caught up in laughter. His laughter diminished, however, when he spotted her cowering her head. "Aw, come on, Hinata-chan! I bet he's out there right now thinking of a way to tell you how proud of you he is!"

She reached her arm out to the cookies on a cooling rack. With one in her hand, she looked a little better. "I hope so, Naruto-kun." She took a bite out of the hot cookie then proceeded to fan her mouth.

XxXxXx

Naruto wasn't right though. Neji was in the other room seething. He was glaring at "The Uchiha", byakuugon activated. Though he was brought there by Ino and Naruto, he had no intentions in paying attention to Ino's pleads for him to listen. His little cousin was _involved _with a guy, and not just any guy.

The Uchiha.

In his thoughts, that counted as, basically, kidnapping and rape. His innocent little cousin wasn't one of those people that had _boyfriends_. He leaned back on the recliner, eyes still glued to "The Uchiha", even though he wasn't glaring back.

"Sasuke-kun," the pony-tailed girl started, "you should leave the room. Neji won't listen to anyone while you're within sight."

The young man stood, shooting a quick, smug look at his girlfriend's girly-looking cousin. He turned and left the room for the kitchen, leaving the blond and brunette alone.

The Hyuuga prodigy shot an angry look at Ino. "He was going to admit."

Sending back at him her own look, she shot back her reply. "He didn't do anything."

"He was trying to rape her," he hissed.

"The way you 'rape' TenTen after training?"

She caught him. His eyes went frantic for a moment before glaring full on at her. "What did you say?"

She smirked. "Do you rape TenTen?"

"No. I do not."

"Ah, well then, since that's settled, you get to apologize to Sasuke-kun."

"No."

Her smirk fled her face and her features went dark. She stood up and towered over Neji. "You will apologize to him. And you will do so now." She grabbed a handful of his hair and the shell of his ear and pulled him towards the kitchen.

XxXxXx

"He's angry," Sasuke stated, when Hinata asked her question.

"No he's not. He couldn't be mad at you two," the blond boy told Hinata quickly.

"He's not. He's mad at me."

As if by coincidence, Ino entered the kitchen with a bent over Neji's hair in her fist. "Sasuke-kun, Neji has something he wants to tell you," she said without a hint of anger in her voice. "Right?" She looked down at Neji who glared at 'The Uchiha'. She tightened her grip and pulled his hair towards her. "_Right?_" Her voice was dangerous.

Hinata, standing off to the side and closest to the cookies, had no idea what Ino was doing, but it was; it was working well. Very well. She watched in awe as her elder cousin mumbled an apology. Ino patted him on the head and let go of his hair.

"Good job, Neji. Now, give your cousin a hug so she doesn't feel like you're mad at her."

He shot a glare at the blond and glanced at his cousin, his eyes pleading.

"It's all right, Ino-chan. I'm all right."

"Nonsense." She brushed her off. "Hug her."

Neji glared at Sasuke, internally blaming 'The Uchiha' for his embarrassment. He took a step towards Hinata and patted her on the back. He looked over his shoulder at Ino, who shook her head and kicked him in the back. He was pushed into a hug with his cousin.

"Neji, I know you've been deprived of affection as a child, what you did before was not a hug. What you are doing now, _this_ is a hug." She crossed her arms, a smug grin settling on her lips as she walked over to Naruto and leaned against him.

Now, Neji was crimson with embarrassment.

Hinata stepped out of the hug and towards Sasuke. Her cousin still scared her, even after she became a chuunin. After all, he had threatened her during their first chuunin exams, and he was always better than her at nearly everything.

A few silent moments in the kitchen later, Naruto cleared his throat and broke out in a wide grin. "Can I have a cookie?" he asked.

Hinata nodded and looked at Sasuke with a bashful smile. "Sasuke made them."

Naruto spit out the bite he took from the cookie. "Never mind…" he mumbled under his breath. Ino snatched the sweet from his hand and took a bite.

"Hm… Not bad. Actually, better than not bad. They're good."

Sasuke blushed softly and scratched the back of his head. This was weird. First, Neji, Ino and Naruto walked into the apartment without permission; second, Neji apologized _and_ hugged Hinata; and third, Sasuke was blushing. Naruto nearly looked around to see if the apocalypse was here yet.

Naruto's jaw slacked and he pointed at his used-to-be girlfriend's crush. He looked at her and then toward where his finger so rudely pointed. "What do you mean 'They're good'. You never say anything like that about what I cook!"

"That's because you don't cook. You heat up instant ramen. If I didn't like you so much, I'd probably dump you right now and jump Sasuke-kun," Ino stated matter-of-factly, eyes closed. She took another bite of the cookie. "But, I bet Hinata-chan isn't interested in switching boyfriends anymore." She opened and eye with a sly smirk. "Right, Hina?"

Hinata nodded quickly and felt Sasuke's hand touch hers.

XxXxXx

After about half an hour of awkward conversation later, Sasuke decided to leave, dragging a cursing Naruto behind him while Ino said her good-byes. "I'll make sure he comes back here. You two probably have a little unfinished business left," she whispered into her friend's ear. She winked and tapped her on the nose.

Hinata collapsed into her chair, hand over her eyes, in exhaustion. She heard him sit in the sofa a few steps away. She sat up a little straighter and lay her hands into her lap. "Are you angry with me, nii-san?" she asked him quietly, eyes trained just over his head.

"Iie, however, I wouldn't have been so furious at The Uchiha had you told me of your relationship with him before your… friends told me about it. I am not angry with you, though. It's… complicated." Neji relaxed against the couch, slouching as much as he possibly could before returning to the Hyuuga Estate.

"You mean the way I reacted when I found out about TenTen and yourself?"

"It's possible."

"Neji-nii-san! That's unfair! It's different!" she hissed demurely.

"It is not different. You were angry with me. You didn't talk to me for days, but you did talk to her."

"It is too different," she argued. "You didn't tell me about it and TenTen deserves better."

"Hinata-sama…" he stated as a warning.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hinata said something quietly.

"Eh?"

"I don't deserve that suffix. It was taken when I moved out of the estate. Remember? You were there when I left and Hanabi took my place. You should know that by now."

"Yes, well, you'll still be Hinata-sama to some of us. You may not be physically as strong as your younger sister, but you are more mentally prepared than she is."

Her cousin stood and moved to the door. "I should go. Take care, Hinata-sama. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

XxXxXx

The rest of the day passed without haste. Hinata's mind did wander throughout the day, but not too far from home. She kept her hands busy while her mind pressed through the mind-boggling beginning of her day. She was cutting, pouring, kneading, and stirring.

By the time a knock on her door broke her from her rhythmic trance, she had a four-course meal completed. She brushed her hands together and rinsed them in running water. She opened the door, expecting an apologetic Ino, though that was probably not going to happen. She wasn't greeted by a 'hey, Hinata! Sorry I'm dropping by so late, but I just wanted to know if I could borrow a such-'n'-such'. Instead, she was greeted with a soft kiss to her lips, not that she minded.

The tall boy who'd kissed her stood up straight, hands behind his back. "Hello, Hinata-chan," he murmured, reaching up with one hand to rub the back of his neck.

XxXxXx

_Well, this chapter seemed short to me. What about you?_

I tried to make it fluffier, but that failed miserably. My beta even told me so. So, right now, you're stuck with a filler/plot mover for a chapter. I hope you giggled a little like I did, especially at Neji's "don't do anything I wouldn't do" comment. Haha… It just makes you wonder how far Neji has gone.

_Hugs & Kisses,_

_Hotari-chan_

_P.S._

_I got a little italic happy. Can you tell?_


	8. Cause and Effect

Chapter 8:

Cause and Effect

XxXxXx

Hinata really, truly, just wanted to close the door on the boy and forget that had even happened. Instead, however, her face heated and brightened as much as it possibly could. She could even swear that her fingers were starting to feel numb.

She stared dumbly up at her friend and teammate, blinking. "Ano..." She tried saying 'hello' back as casually as he did. "Ah... Er..."

"Sorry to barge by, but I was just in the neighborhood..." He trailed off, talking about how he'd gone to visit Sakura and had been told that she'd needed some company for the night, or maybe the rest of her life.

Wait a second... She backtracked. Sakura was trying to set her up with someone? Her _teammate_ someone? She blinked twice and reached to touch the door handle. "Sakura-chan told you to come by?"

The boy nodded. His hand moved from the back of his head to his cheek, rubbing the red fang drawn on it. "Well, yeah. That, and Neji walked by me, muttering about you not dating? I think it was. I dunno." He grinned at her. "Can I come in?" He was bold. Very bold.

She looked over her shoulder at her sitting room. "Ah... I'm sorry, Kiba-kun, but... I was going to head to bed. Soon."

He grinned, and she knew that he was going to try again. Something a little less discrete and a little more dirty. "Mind if I join you?"

He was _too_ bold. She shook her head and grabbed the handle. "I'm very sorry, Kiba-kun, but I'm going to have to decline." She closed the door a little. She smiled nervously. "Ano, good night."

She saw him pout and waved a little. "Night, Hina-chan. If you ever need a _good friend_, don't hesitate to call on me." She saw his grin and slammed the door closed all the way. This was... embarrassing, to say the least. He could have been a little quieter about what he wanted, a little more discreet, but she knew Kiba and a few other Inuzukas. They were not discreet. They said what they wanted and they usually were told no. It was nothing new.

She sighed and looked through the peephole. He was still standing there, thinking aloud. Unfortunately for her, she did see him plotting another question to pop. She, fortunately, did see Sasuke walking up the street.

Her cheeks crimsoned, remembering the words Ino had said. She dashed to the kitchen, looking over the food she'd made. A deeper blush made its way to her cheeks. She'd made enough food for one person. That was usually the amount of people (person, perhaps, would work better) she cooked for. The former Hyuuga heiress wasn't expecting him to come at the time she would be eating. Then again, she hadn't expected her teammate to be asking her to dance the sideways tango.

She bit her lip. Maybe, he would be going to Sakura's? But, why would he do that? Especially if he had been flirting with her merely hours beforehand.

She walked back to the door, looking through the peephole again. Kiba was walking down the stairs, shoulders slouched, and Sasuke was not on the street anymore. She blinked a few times, drawing her brows together. Kiba was out of sight soon, as she'd last seen him walking towards Sakura's house. She sighed to herself, a bit of relief flooding her senses. She turned and walked back to the kitchen, only to turn around again at the sound of knocking on her door.

She walked back, this being her third trip there in the past five minutes, and opened the door. "Hello," she murmured softly. She looked up at the facial features. It wasn't Kiba, this time. She smiled softly. "Uchiha-san, come in."

He stepped inside, shrugging out of his borrowed jacket. Hinata could tell by the orange that it wasn't his. "Kiba was by here earlier," he noted aloud, hanging the coat with hers.

"Hai..."

"What did he want?" he asked, sounding a little like Neji--- in the protective sense.

She closed the door, trying to hide her blush to no avail. "It was nothing."

He raised an eyebrow and strode to the kitchen. The safe zone. "All right." He looked around at the food. "You were going to eat."

"Hai." She followed him in and opened a drawer. "Would you share with me?" she asked, pulling out two pairs of chopsticks.

"You only made enough for one person."

"You're avoiding the question," she offered boldly, though her voice remained quiet as always.

He smiled at her. He took the utensils from her, letting his fingertips ghost over hers. "All right."

She sighed softly, picking up a prawn from one of the bowls, attempting to ignore the flip-flop of her stomach. He followed suit, eating with her in the kitchen. They exchanged small talk, unknowing of what to say or do after an embarrassing---though the word hardly described it--- day.

The dishes were soon empty and washed and dried. Hinata handed the towel to Sasuke, smiling softly at him. "We make a good team, ne?"

He wiped his hands off on the towel before leaning to kiss her cheek. "Yeah, we do." He watched her face change colors, brightening in shades of pink. He brushed his knuckles against her warm cheek, earning a brighter blush. "What's the matter?" he asked, leaning his forehead against hers.

She smiled softly at him, placing her hands over his own, which were cupping her face. She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly, wondering if, by taste alone, he could tell that Kiba had kissed her. "Nothing in particular."

Her blush faded slowly as they engaged in another kiss, this one lasting a bit longer than the last. A few moments of tonsil hockey later, they two broke for air. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to his chest. "This is nice," she whispered, to no one in particular.

And, as most of their romantic moments, knuckles rapping on the front door broke this one. Hinata sighed, thankful that whoever it was had the decency to knock. She untangled herself from Sasuke's arms, pressing her lips against his reassuringly, before walking to the door.

She opened the door, not bothering to look to see who it was. And, as the last time, she was met with a press to the lips, a little harder than the last time. She pulled away, stepping back into her apartment. "Ano... Kiba-kun?" she started, a little unsure of herself.

He gave her a toothy grin. This was an accomplishment. Two kisses in one day. He mentally patted himself on the back. "Hai, Hina-chan?" Now, he was congratulating himself in his head.

"I... have company." She was quicker to respond.

His grin fell, and his mental picture of giving himself a plaque with Hinata on his arm had 'poof'-ed. "Oh. Who is it?" he wondered.

As if on que, Sasuke stepped from the kitchen, leaning on the doorframe. The fanged Inuzuka looked between the two. Sasuke's lips were swollen; Hinata's lips were swollen. Had he been Naruto, he would've missed that clue right off the bat. However, he was a little brighter than Naruto.

"Oh." Kiba didn't have anything else to say. He was baffled by the situation, and his mind had run away with its dictionary of words--- that included the swear words he'd learned and the dirty phrases that he'd read.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and looked at the back of Hinata's head. Something was definitely going on, and he was _itching_ to find out what it was. "Anything you need, Inuzuka?" Sasuke berated.

"Eh?" He had to think quickly. Hinata would hate him if he said yes and continued to pursue her. So, he did the only sensible thing a best friend who has feelings for the main girl of any story: he lied. "Iie." In all actuality, at that moment, Kiba needed a hug. Hiding his tears, because no jonin would ever be caught crying in front of a girl, he waved and grinned at the pair. "See ya," he called, jogging down the steps.

And thus, Hinata and Sasuke were alone, once again. "Is there anything I need to know about?"

"No," Hinata said, her mind elsewhere for the time being.

"Hn. Well, if you come across anything that I should know, like a boyfriend, a pregnancy, a secret life of crime, tell me."

Her brow furrowed. "What?"

He chuckled and moved to the couch. "Nothing."

"Whatever you say," she mumbled.

She walked to the side of the couch and fell backwards, her feet propped up on the armrest and her head settled in Sasuke's lap. She sighed softly and closed her eyes. She knit her fingers together and lay them across her stomach. She felt someone reach to touch her appendages, and smiled softly.

Their fingers hitched together and she rolled onto her side. Had she opened her eyes she would've been face to face with the coffee table. She was rather comfortable, and he seemed to be as well, as he began to run his fingers through her hair and talking to her. In the middle of one of his sentences, probably an explanation on why he was there, but she really didn't know, nor did she care, she fell asleep.

XxXxXx

Her eyes opened. Normally, she awoke with a yawn, but this did not seem to be the case this time. She sat up a little, inspecting to see if she'd been kidnapped or something. This seemed to be her room. In a way. She looked around and frowned.

She didn't feel the least bit tired. She didn't even feel like she'd slept at all. Suspicious didn't even cover what she felt at the moment.

In spite of her room looking like it wasn't really lived in, she sat up all the way and tossed her blankets off. She remembered a few things about the day before: Sasuke baking with her assistance; Naruto, Ino, and Neji coming over; Neji being angry at Sasuke; Ino fixing the 'problem'; Neji hugging her; Ino liking Sasuke's baking… Um… There were a few other blurry things. She briefly remembered Kiba kissing her and the awkwardness that came along with it.

Throwing her feet over the side of her bed, she hopped down, not looking for her slippers at all. She doubted they were down there anyway.

She remembered something else. Something that made her feel like crying. Sasuke didn't wake her up to say good-bye. Tears built at the corners of her eyes.

In a flurry of confusion and drawing of conclusions, she blinks her tears from her eyes and runs to her kitchen. She didn't find it at first, confusing herself further. Once in the kitchen, she'd expected to find a stack of fudge and cookies from what Sasuke and herself had made. Instead, though, she found a small note.

Her tears began again as she thought about how he thought she was just like Sakura. She reached over and picked up the note, holding it to her chest for a few moments as she gathered herself.

'_This is stupid…'_ she told herself. _'Sasuke likes me. The way he kissed me last night… it was… it was like he didn't want to _stop_ kissing me.'_

She smiled through her tears and looked down at the note. She read it once, savoring the words and his handwriting. She read it again, dipping herself into them and making them make sense. She read it twice more, trying to make them say what she wanted them to say. That he loved her. That he wanted to be there, but Hokage-sama had other business for him to take care of.

Tears pooled in her eyes again. She blinked, staring at the _'I'm with Sakura now'_ part again, and again, and again…

She sniffled. This was stupid. She wasn't crying over a boy. Cringing, she tore the paper in two and dropped them on the floor. She turned away from the pieces and leaned against the cool counter.

This was _not_ happening.

Once she'd calmed herself, she faced the papers. They seemed to be laughing at her now. Sniggering at her. Telling her she wasn't worth it. She looked around the kitchen. This was where what had happened _happened_. She picked up the papers and walked to the sitting room and sat on the couch, setting the papers together to make the original almost as good as it was when she'd read it.

She stared at it. It wasn't making sense to her. She sighed and lay back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. It too seemed to be making snide remarks about her had-been-almost-relationship with Uchiha Sasuke. Using all her common sense, she closed her eyes.

Almost as soon as she'd closed them, she yawned and jolted up. She smelled smoke. Lots and lots of smoke.

She tossed off the blanket and ran towards the kitchen, which was right where it had been when she'd fallen asleep. When she looked around, she saw a pile of cookies, a pile of cut fudge, and an angry Uchiha Sasuke.

She sighed softly and put a hand to her aching forehead. "Uchiha-san…" she breathed. She walked to him and stood beside him where he was rinsing ashes out of a pot. "What were you burning in my kitchen?" she teased.

He looked at her, still frowning heavily. "Breakfast…" he grunted, grabbing a sponge and wiping out the remains of whatever he'd made.

Hinata shook her head. "I thought I taught you better…" She was chiding him lightly, not meaning any harm She followed him from the sink to the stove. "I honestly thought I did…" It was then that he turned around and lifted her up by her waist and set her on the counter.

She squeaked a little at the response. She bit her lip and looked around the kitchen.

"Do I need to get the tape?" he asked, ego shot from her teasing.

She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest as she watched him.

He was still in the clothes he'd worn the day before, which looked a little pale from their flour fight. She giggled lightly at the remembrance. He looked over his shoulder at her. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and dipped her head behind them.

She looked at him and watched him carefully. He seemed to glide from one place to the other. He was very much 'in the zone'. A soft smile settled on her lips. She leaned her head on her knees and waited for him to turn her way.

When he did, it was apparent he was making breakfast, as he'd mentioned before. He walked her way and leaned his arms over her knees, staring into her pupil-less eyes. She blushed eagerly. She watched his dark eyes blink slowly, deliberately. She wasn't going to get a kiss unless she kissed him.

Her blush spread to her ears as she crossed her legs and leaned towards his lips. Her mouth only a breath away from his, she stopped moving. Her eyes darted from his mouth to his eyes. She licked her lips and sat back onto her hands. She bit her lip. After a few moments of a staring contest, she uncrossed her legs and pushed her way to the edge of the counter, where she slid down and stood facing him.

Her arms snaked around his waist and she hugged him. That dream was still in the corner of her mind, aching to tell her its opinion. He was poking fun at her right now, it whispered. He was only using her so that he and Sakura-chan could laugh at her, it chided. He's was waiting for her to pull him down and dominate him, it mentioned.

She blushed. That was not _that_ voice. That was some other voice. That voice sounded a lot like her own. Her cheeks seemed to change from a tickle-me-pink shade to a red in no time flat. Her eyes glanced at his. Her hands grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him down. She touched his cheek.

Her lips touched his eagerly. She pulled away in the midst of a kiss. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice softer than that of a whisper. His name felt nice on her lips. It felt right on her tongue. She smiled softly and kissed his lips again, her eyes falling closed.

He'd barely caught his name. It sounded less formal than 'Uchiha-san'. It sounded wonderful, perfect. He kissed her back gently and cupped his hand around the back of her neck and his other on her hip. He didn't dare go further. He liked kissing. He liked life--- he knew if Neji ever found out about them going further than a lip-lock, he was done for.

He pulled away, noticing that soft whine she'd made when he did so. "I'd hate to break it to you, as much as I love _this_, I'd like to eat. I don't want to die."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "Drama queen," she muttered as she grabbed up two bowls of rice and a plate of seafood.

He rolled his eyes. Naruto had used that one on him. He used to just cross his arms and begin to blubber as if Sakura had been the one to say it. As usual, it would cause Naruto to become a mess and tell him to calm down. Of course, when it was Naruto that had said it, he'd punch him in the face and tell him not to call him that. He sighed. This was a real girl who'd called him a drama queen.

It didn't hurt. In all actuality, it meant that she'd have rather been tangled in his arms with him in the kitchen.

He picked up the last of the food and took it to the sitting room. He set it on the table that Hinata had pulled away from the couch and to an emptier part of the whole room. She'd tossed two pillows on the floor where they could sit. She slipped past him, a bright smile on her lips. He sat in one place.

Hinata ran into the room, two pair of chopsticks in her hand. She sat down and sighed deeply, relaxing her nerves and telling that voice to _shut the hell up and let her take care of it_. She handed him a pair and closed her eyes for a moment.

They both uttered their 'thanks' and began to eat. Their eyes met once or twice. "Thank you for cooking this morning," she told him quietly. She felt so much shyer now that they were alone in a room, at a table, and talking. It was quiet when they weren't talking, and the silence seemed to poke at the voice, telling it to get louder and start screaming.

"It was nothing, Hinata-san."

She giggled and picked up another piece of grilled salmon--- she suspected that he had bought it grilled or something. He eyed her carefully.

"What is it?"

She giggled again and shook her head. "Nothing," she told him playfully.

"Seriously."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say my name." She smiled softly at him and put another piece of fish in her mouth.

XxXxXx

_**This seemed like a wonderful place to drop off. It's not 'the end' yet though. Close. Really close.**_

_**I know it's been a while. A long while, but you understand, ne? Life, school, all that jazz.**_

_**I found out I'm pulling straight A's! It's so exciting! A lot of really depressing things have happened lately though. I found about something dangerous my younger sister has been doing lately. I may end up in counseling because of some of the other things I write about. So, blah-bitty-blah-blah.**_

_**Anyway, off my real life, I was very excited to finally finish this. It took three tries to finish it, and I've only read it once. It hasn't been beta-d, so don't hurt me. If there are any mistakes, let me know. I'll fix them and continue on chapter nine!**_

_**Hugs and Kisses,**_

_**Hotari-chan**_

**Edit: For those who didn't catch it, when Hinata throws off the blanket when she's on the couch, she's waking up from a dream. Sorry if I sorta 'duh'ed anyone. I feel aweful about that.**


	9. Uh Oh

Chapter 9:  
Uh-Oh

XxXxXx

She laughed with him as they washed dishes. Though his hard exterior never let on, Sasuke was rather funny, and he liked to smile. In fact, Hinata knew she liked his smile the moment it graced his features and didn't disappear. She closed her eyes as she wiped off the plate he'd handed her and listened to him tell her that Tsunade-sama had, in fact, given him the Uchiha estate.

She grinned at him teasingly when he dropped a cup and squeaked upon it's impact with the floor, only to find out it was plastic.

He sighed gently and sat back on the counter, listening to the soothing drip of the faucet. He couldn't help but feel a little different around her, considering the fact that she seemed more lighthearted than the pink-haired girl that insisted on holding his arm. Feeling eyes on him, he opened a lid and smirked at her.

"What?" he asked, teasingly curious?

"I don't know what to do…." she mumbled. Being alone with him and without many subjects to talk about could be a bit unnerving. She bit her lip and looked away. She obviously didn't do 'unnerved' well.

He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and walked towards her. "You try to hard," he sighed.

It didn't bother him that she did this; went quiet and began to blush, stammer, poke her forefingers together, all her nervous habits tossed at once. It didn't bother him, and that confused him. He had no problems with her faults, like speaking clearly or ceasing to speak. It intrigued him, actually; drew him in like a moth to a flame.

He smiled gently and took one of her locks of waving hair into a hand, wondering why, whenever he'd seen her before, her hair was always so straight. He curled it around his finger and twirled it until the hair was tight against his flesh. He leaned forward, pressing his chin against the crown of her head. "Don't try, just be," he said into her hair. He pulled his finger from her hair, watching as her hair formed a perfect ringlet. A brow rose. Maybe her hair did whatever it was told. He looked at her blushing face.

With a sigh, he placed a hand on either of her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She moved her hands to his waist and hooked her thumbs into his belt loops. Her eyes caught his as he pulled from the press of his lips to her skin. She smiled gently and, using her grip on his hips, propelled herself upwards to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Uchiha-kun," she said, releasing her hold on his shorts. She walked away, hair whipping along with her movements. In a dream-like state, she began towards the sitting room once again.

He followed after her, curious. "What are you doing?" he asked her, leaning against the doorframe.

She bit her lip, searching the room for an explanation. "I thought… we'd go out."

"Like last night?"

Her laughter lingered in the air as she shook her head. "Iie, Uchiha-kun. To train, or to just…" she paused a loss for words, "go out."

"A date?" he asked, amused.

"P-possibly," she stammered quietly, curling her hands to her chest. She'd jumped to conclusions.

He smiled a little and nodded. "You, Hyuuga Hinata, are taking me, Uchiha Sasuke, on a date without permission?" he asked, teasing her a bit.

Her lower lip quivered a bit. "If… you'd go," she tried, her lips clumsy.

"Hn. Sounds good to me," he said, shrugging his shoulders uninterested.

Catching on, she creased her nose a bit before heading off to her bedroom. "Uchiha-kun?" she called after a few moments of her alone time. Being a naturally curious, hormonal teenaged boy, he obliged and stepped into her bedroom.

She had a drawer open with a set of men's clothing. He wondered if she'd had relationships like this during the time Naruto was gone. She seemed to put two and two together and blushed brightly, shaking her head. "Neji-nii-san stays here sometimes," she explained. "I thought… maybe you'd want to bathe," her blush deepened at the thought of a naked Uchiha in her home, "and change before… we left."

Sasuke picked up the pair of shorts and tee shirt she'd set out for him. "It might work," he said with a few nods. He glanced at the dark-haired girl and smiled. "Thanks, Hinata-san."

Her cheeks flared before they returned to their natural color. She'd become better at preventing herself from fainting. He was rather impressed. Hyuuga Hiashi was obviously very wrong about how much Hinata had improved. He ruffled her hair a bit, causing a bit of it to stand up gawkily. He snickered as he left the room, leaving the Hyuuga girl flattening her hair against her head.

As soon as he'd figured out which room was the bathroom, the one with the door closed, he entered, closing the door and locking it behind him. He looked around. It was rather tidy and very simple; only necessities occupied it's corners and shelves. He looked at the deep tub. A deep chuckle resonated from his throat as he thought about how she'd probably been unable to cope with a smaller tub, having been spoiled by the Hyuuga estate's rather deep private onsen.

Once undressed and settled in the tub, he let his mind wander. First of all, he thought about his cooking. He'd improved a lot with the help of the white-eyed Hyuuga girl. He was really excited about it, though he preferred not to jump up and down with laughter or squeals as girls, and Naruto, tended to do. Secondly, he thought about what he was going to do after these lessons were finished. He could just leave and only speak to Hinata in passing, or he could start a formal relationship with her. Lastly, he thought about his emotions, which he found was really, rather, hard. He hadn't dwelled on that much since he was smaller and listened to the beating of his own heart to calm.

He groaned and laid a hand over his forehead. This was going to take longer than a thirty-minute bath to sort out. He pulled out the plug in the tub and stood. He looked over at where a clean towel hung, wrapping it around his nude waist. He had to actually think, in depth, about what he was going to do, how he was going to go about it, and actually follow through at this rate.

He dried off and pulled on his underclothes and Neji's shorts. They were a bit loose on his hips, but not so much as to ride dangerously low. He pulled on his shirt and found it felt snug around him. He looked into the fogged mirror and used the towel to wipe the steam from the glass. Sasuke… looked like he was wearing someone else's clothes. Shaking his head, he folded his clothes and set the towel into the dirty clothes hamper. He really didn't expect anything different; and he really didn't care about appearances.

Outside of the door, he took a glance at the back of Hinata's head, watching how her hair tumbled down her back in curls, in place of laying flat against her back. It was certainly different from what other girls did. He bit his cheek as he smiled. It was nice.

He stepped to the couch, setting his clothes on the arm of the furniture. He sat beside her, the thought of how to go about the whole situation still racking his brain for un-known answers. "What do you have planned?" he asked, flicking his towel-dried strands from his face and pushing the back up.

"Nothing," she replied brightly. She giggled a little and ran her fingers through the back, helping it stand on end. "Do you have anything in mind?

He sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Just one thing," he said, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss against her lips. Pulling away, he looked at over her face, eyes lidded lazily and mouth pouted.

She blinked and smiled bashfully at him. "I-is that it?" she whispered.

He smiled and shrugged. "For now. Of course, now we should probably go to my house to get some money."

"M-money?"

"Yeah. This is going to be a date, right?" She nodded slowly, trying to grasp the concept. "Then, let's go." He took her hand in his and helped her off the couch.

Sasuke was unsure of how the rest of Konoha would rake their relationship, and though he hadn't told her right out, he was worrying how the fangirl-banshees were going to treat Hinata. In all honesty though, Hinata was waiting for the moment she could prove herself to be Uchiha Sasuke's g-girlfriend.

Of course, they were both nervous to go out in public together in case Ino had blabbed, which they didn't doubt. Neither really wanted to voice that nervousness.

Hinata bit her lip as they began their trek from her apartment to the Uchiha estate. He felt a little awkward in Neji's clothes, especially since he kept getting little looks from girls and the occasional boy. This kept him on edge, even though he got those sort of glances every day; he was desired, after all.

He didn't dare tug on the shirt or the shorts, for fear of how anxious and nervous he would look, but he did bite his tongue and acquire a bit of a scowl.

Her other hand, the one not nestled firmly in his own, came to rest on his forearm, causing him to flinch as he jumped in his skin. "Uchiha-kun," she began, "We're at your house." She tugged on his arm a bit, coaxing him to get into his home. Soon after they were in the house, she slipped off her sandals, following his example.

He sighed once he'd entered his territory and closed the door after her. She smiled gently at him, though she sensed a bit of a change in his mood. He closed the door behind her and began into the labyrinth of halls.

"If you'd like, you can wait in the living room or in the kitchen," he told her.

She clenched her lower lip between her teeth and shrugged. She'd assumed he was only going to go to his room and grab his wallet and then they were to leave. But, she guessed he was off to do something more personal so she decided to wait.

She sat in the lounge for a while before she wondered what was taking to long. Using her perceptive memory, she walked down a hall towards what used to be his room when they were children. A smile crept to her lips while she opened the door. She instantly recognized it from long past memories when their fathers always argued and exchanged empty threats.

She used to play with Sasuke's toys while he would be outside training. She never knew why, but she never minded and he rarely noticed. It was strange how close they were, but how far apart they were. Now, it seemed more like a distant memory.

She looked around the untouched room, not finding the last Uchiha in the room. With a gentle sigh, she mumbled her kekkei genkai and narrowed down the room he was inside of.

She bit her lip roughly as she took one last glance at the youngest Uchiha's childhood before she slid the door closed gingerly. She ignored the question of why it was closed and began down the halls where she'd seen his charka, four doors away from the room she'd just closed off.

She reached forward and slid open the door. As soon as she did, she slapped the door and covered her mouth. He was, to say the least, not decent. Her other hand touched her chest where her heart was pounding furiously. Had she thought it through, she would have realized, with her standing outside of his room after opening the door to reveal a scantily clad Uchiha Sasuke, he could tease her about being a peeping pervert.

She stood outside the door, sliding down the wall to the floor, allowing her hand over her mouth drift to her side. He slid the door open and stepped out, blushing and quiet and fully clothed.

She jumped up from the floor and followed him down the hallway, expecting at least a hint of teasing. She bent her neck as they entered the sitting room, feeling a bit ashamed from the previous embarrassment. She cleared her throat and voiced an apology.

"I didn't think you… I mean, I assumed… Well, if I'd thought it over… It was…" she rambled. She sighed softly and squeaked out an "I'm sorry".

He looked over his shoulder and wrinkled his nose with faux distaste. "To think you'd be someone that would sneak a peek at me while I was changing," he teased.

Her mouth fell open and she curled her hands towards her chest blushing furiously. "It w-wasn't like that!" she squeaked.

He shrugged softly and pulled out a wallet from the top drawer of a desk. "Sure…" he muttered. He smiled her, a soft rose dusting his pale complexion. He walked to the entranceway and slipped on his sandals. He smirked at her and held out a hand to her.

She looked at him and followed his example, pulling hers on. She wrinkled her nose at him, miffed by his teasing. "That wasn't very funny," she mumbled, words finally not stumbling over her tongue. "It was an accident."

"I know."

She pouted and looked at her feet, rocking back on her heels. "Tch."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. "Sorry," he said half-heartedly. He leaned back and looked at her. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned away from him, grabbing his hand and walking out the door.

"Let's get out of here, Uchiha-kun," she told him, looking back at him with a slight smile. "You're buying lunch, ne?"

XxXxXx

_**A/N: There's gonna be two more chapters to this, and maybe a sequel if I get enough screams at me. Oh, and I think I need someone to poke me with a pointed stick to remind me to write and post up my chapters. –hint- -hint- The more people I get on the 'get Hotari to write' bandwagon, the quicker I'll actually write. Go figure! So… PM me sometime, even if it is just to say 'Tari! Get off the computer, put down the manga and get your butt in gear! You have a chapter to write!'. Ahem… I'm not naming names on who said that… but you know who you are.**_

_**Anywhoosh! Reviews are appreciated, but unnecessary.**_

_**xoxo, Hotari-chan**_


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